Frozen edible substances, including ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, frozen yogurt and the like, are typically dispensed from bulk containers into dishes or cones. The ice cream or yogurt is scooped from the containers by means of traditional ice-cream scooping devices. Most such devices are simple in design, consisting of a hemispherical bowl attached to an elongated handle. "Improved" designs are more complex, featuring moveable or motorized parts. All existing designs, both simple and modified, tend to concentrate the entire force generated by the scooping action on the operator's wrist. None of these designs provide adequate support or stability for the user's wrist, nor do they provide a means for mitigating the strain caused by scooping. This strain and repetitive motion tends to fatigue the operator, especially after long time periods, and can have more serious medical consequences, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome, caused by pressure on the median nerve, can have debilitating effects for the commercial operator, including sensory loss, atrophy, and weakness of the thumb. Cecil Textbook of Medicine (1992), J. Wyngaarden, L. Smith and J. Bennett eds. (W. B. Sanders Co.), p. 1563.
Certain prior art scoops purportedly reduce the friction between the scoop and frozen substance, but fail to obviate or relieve the aforementioned problems. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. Des. 305,852 (Clement et al.), disclosing a battery-heated ice-cream scoop, and U.S. Patent No. 5,000,672 (Halimi), disclosing a scoop with a heated forming edge. While these designs may facilitate slicing by partially melting or softening the ice cream, the pressure remains localized on the wrist. Neither device offers wrist support, stability, or relief from the strain caused by scooping. These mechanized devices are also impractical to operate and maintain, especially for the large volume retailer. Cords prove cumbersome and potentially dangerous, and batteries take time and resources to replace. Heated devices also raise the temperature of the ice cream, thereby altering the texture and flavor of the ice cream.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,150 (Fanini et al.) discloses an improved "semiautomatic" ice-cream scoop, the improvement comprising a motorized blade which slices and separates the ice cream from the scoop. Like other mechanized devices, however, this device requires an external energy source and is therefore impractical, particularly for the large volume retailer. Supply and return ducts are both cumbersome and potentially dangerous, blades need sharpening, and the motor requires maintenance.
Other "improved" scooping devices employ ejecting mechanisms which assist in releasing the ice cream from the scoop. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,449 (Alberts), which discloses an ice cream scoop with a spring biased ejection mechanism, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,806 (Houle) which discloses a manually operated ejector mechanism, wherein the ejector comprises a moveable arcuate tongue with an attached lever arm. As with other prior art devices, however, these devices lack wrist support, stability, or relief from the strain caused by scooping.
Other major drawbacks of the mechanized scooping devices include the relatively high manufacturing costs, and the number of moving parts which must be cleaned and maintained. Moreover, while the handle and scoop are virtually indestructible, the moving parts are not. Metal fatigue and corrosion of the moving parts often requires that the entire device be discarded and replaced. The replacement costs, particularly for the large volume retailer, can be significant.
Despite the variety of designs currently available, a need remains for a practical, ergonomic and efficient ice-cream scoop. In particular, no scoop design to date includes a mechanism for diverting pressure away from the user's wrist, provides support or stability for the wrist, or in any way mitigates the strain caused by the repetitive scooping action. While mechanized devices assist in slicing and dispensing, they are impractical and expensive to operate, and lack a means for diverting pressure away from the user's wrist.